Four Partners Every Learning and Development Team Should Have
I couldn't do what I do as a training and leadership development consultant to nonprofits without my support system, and you need a support system too.
You are doing the work day in and day out to lead your L&D team (if you’re a supervisor), engage with your internal partners, and deliver quality learning experiences. There is a lot that goes into this.
That’s why on today’s episode, we’re talking about the four partners every L&D team should have.
Listen to the episode or scroll down to read the blog post ↓
Key Points:
00:58 Why your L&D team needs partners
03:27 The importance of a support system
05:57 Four partners every L&D team should have
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Four Partners Every Learning and Development Team Should Have
It takes a village. That's what they say.
To make things work in life, we need people around us who encourage us, help us, teach us, motivate us, guide us, do things with us, do things for us, and support us.
In my own life:
I have a supportive husband and family.
Kids who watch my every move and who I want to set a good example for.
An assistant who keeps me on track.
A team of consultants who deliver great quality work to our clients.
A network of colleagues who hire me and refer me to others.
Someone who provides some basic household care like cleaning and organizing laundry.
A group of friends who can stand the test of time.
A group of friends that keeps me accountable in the gym.
And honestly, I'm sure there are plenty more people that I’ve missed. But I couldn't do what I do as a training and leadership development consultant to nonprofits without them.
They each play an important role in who I am, what I do, and how I approach my life and my work.
They encourage me, lift me up, and keep me from burning out.
They are my village, my community, and my support system.
And you need a support system too.
You are doing the work day in and day out to lead your L&D team, engage with your internal partners, and deliver quality learning experiences.
There's a lot that goes into assessing needs, designing great experiences, creating behavior change, developing instructional materials, evaluating what's working and what isn't, influencing other leaders in your organization, creating a great learner experience, and all the other things that you do on a regular basis.
You need a support system.
That’s why in this blog post, we’re looking at the four partners every L&D team should have:
I don't know how we do life without a support system. And I don't know how we effectively lead L&D without one either.
I'm going to keep this list of partners short and sweet. I don't want to try to convince you of who you should partner with. That's completely up to you and your nonprofit’s unique needs. But I do want you to think about these categories of partners because you can't and shouldn't have to do this alone.
1) Off-The-Shelf Training Vendors
Consider partnering with off-the-shelf training vendors like LinkedIn Learning.
I spend a lot of time talking about the value of custom training and leadership development, and I stand by that. But these off-the-shelf courses can stand in your gaps while you build a robust library of courses.
There are several libraries of courses out there, some are even specific to nonprofits.
Find them.
See what's available.
See what's going to work for you.
See what kind of partnership you can have.
2) Continuing Education from Academic Institutions
Consider partnering with educational institutions, or continuing education.
Your staff might want to pursue higher education from an academic institution. And this partnership can provide some benefits to you and your staff. But educational institutions may also have certificates or workshops or other things that are relevant to your learners as well.
So let's not just make that an HR thing, let's really think about L&D and how we can leverage those partnerships with academic institutions as well.
3) Training and Leadership Development Consultants
Consider partnering with consultants to create custom training and leadership development solutions.
Again, there's so much value in custom learning.
This is what my team and I do at Skill Masters Market. And we partner with you to identify needs and create solutions that will meet those needs.
So whether it's formal training, workshops, job aids, or some combination plus other things that I haven't even listed, we will do the work to figure it out and help you release it out into your system.
So if you're ready for a supportive collaborative partner in this work, reach out to me and schedule a time for us to talk. We'll talk about your needs and what it could look like.
You definitely want to have some partnerships with consultants available to you.
4) Other Learning and Development Pros
Now, the last one is to consider partnering with each other.
This is what I'm trying to create with the Nonprofit L&D Collective, a group of your colleagues from other nonprofits who you can learn from.
It's a one-stop shop, just for nonprofit L&D. A place where you can find like-minded talent development pros, learn from industry leaders and tech vendors, and find the support that you need to really make an impact.
If you aren't in the Collective yet, join us today. It's free!
We do monthly virtual meetups for networking and discussion.
We're hosting sessions where you get to learn from each other on specific topics like accessibility and learning.
We're hosting tech demos and Q&As with some of the top providers in our industry.
Honestly, this is just the beginning. We are being responsive to the group's needs and will only continue to add resources that are perfect for you and your nonprofit L&D team.
So you might not have thought about partnering with other nonprofits. And maybe this isn't the formal partnership that you think of when you think of the other partnerships. But,
These are the people that are going to be your support system.
They're going to give you answers to questions.
They're going to celebrate with you when things go well.
They're going to understand you and your unique challenges because they're probably facing them in their nonprofit too.
So take some time today, even if it's five minutes, and make a list of who you're partnering with currently and what partners you might want to add in the future.
Take your work to the next level. Find your village. And join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
To hear the full conversation I had on the Learning for Good Podcast, scroll all the way up and tune into episode 88.
The Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective
Helping to change the world for good is hard enough as it is. Finding good support shouldn’t be difficult, too.
I know what it feels like to want someone to bounce ideas off of and to learn from, someone who really understands you and your work.
Nonprofit L&D leaders have been overlooked for too long. You need a place where you can meet like-minded talent development pros, learn from industry leaders and tech vendors, and find the support you need to make a real impact.
Thankfully, great nonprofit support is no longer hard to find or financially inaccessible.
Welcome to the Nonprofit Learning and Development Collective – the only community specifically for nonprofit talent development professionals.
When you join this community, you will walk away with a new, diverse, and powerful network – and a sounding board for your staff development needs.
So if you're ready to exchange ideas and collaborate with your peers, come join the Nonprofit L&D Collective.
